Even if you’re not a picky eater, we bet you’re throwing away lots of perfectly edible stuff. Actually, many things that you wouldn’t typically consider food are quite nutritious and healthy, and they can be tasty too!
Sometimes it is all about knowing how to cook these unusual ingredients, but that’s why we’re here. These are 11 unexpected parts of food you never knew you could eat.
#11 – Chicken Feet
Let’s start with the hardest to swallow. Chicken feet are covered with a nice layer of fat and thin skin that will give your broths and soups the most wonderful chicken flavor.
Restaurants know this, and they let nothing go to waste. They use many chicken parts to make world-class soup, and you can too. Although a great flavoring agent, chicken feet are also tasty. Just nibble your way around.
#10 – Carrot Tops
Carrots are one of the most popular (and healthier) veggies on our diets. If you get yours at the supermarket, maybe you’ve never seen the leafy carrot tops but visit a farmers’ market, and you’ll see how freshly picked carrots look like; they have a frothy green crown.
Carrot tops are delicious leafy greens, and they’re perfect for salads. They’re pretty too, and if you think about it, they’re free.
#9 – Kiwi Skins
Kiwis are strange looking fruit; a fury brown peel covers a bright, juicy, sweet and tart pulp that looks lovely on salads and cocktails.
Kiwi peels are very thin, which makes peeling kiwis quite hard, but you don’t even need to peel them, the itchy skin is entirely edible. Blend them whole for a fiber-rich smoothie and don’t miss out on all the peel’s nutrients.
#8 – Watermelon Seeds
Watermelons are over 90% water, the rest is red-hued, deliciously sweet pulp, but the large fruit is also dotted with seeds. Eating watermelon slices is all about taking a bite and spitting a dozen seeds but know both black and white seeds are safe to eat.
If you blend watermelon without removing the seeds, you actually end up with a more nutritious Slurpee, packed with good oils and fiber.
#7 – Citrus Peels
Citrus peels have many uses. For starters, you can grate them over salads, soups, fish, and anything else you can think of to add pretty citrusy aromatics.
You can also bake candied peels that end up quite crunchy, flowery, and sweet. Think about the possibilities, with tangerines, grapefruits, oranges, limes, and lemons out there; this could be your new hobby.
#6 – Banana Peels
The easiest way to eat banana peels (yes, they’re edible) is crushing them in a food processor and adding them to banana cake or muffins. The yellow peels need to be boiled and baked to break them down, but it’s worth it. They’re even healthier than bananas themselves.
Potassium, magnesium, fiber, and vitamin B are just a few benefits of eating your banana peels.
#5 – Broccoli Stocks
Broccoli, as you know, is made of tons of little florets, or ‘little trees’ held together by a larger stem. We all do one of two things: either buy frozen broccoli or buy large broccoli heads and discard the stem.
If you do buy whole broccoli and are throwing away the stem, you’re missing out on a bunch-load of nutrients.
The stem is as nutritious as the rest of the broccoli. That means vitamin K, fiber, and lots of minerals. Just chop it in small pieces, boil and add to your food.
#4 – Pineapple Cores
The pineapple cores, or the ‘hearts’ are a bit fibrous, sure, and not as juicy or sweet as pineapples’ flesh, but that doesn’t mean you should throw them away. If something characterizes all the items on this list, what we throw away is more nutritious than what we end up eating.
Chop pineapple cores and mix them up with the rest of the pineapple; you won’t even notice.
#3 – Dandelions
To round up this list, we thought we’d give you some good news with stuff you didn’t know you could eat. In this case, flowers.
Dandelions, when bright and yellow, will add the most beautiful scent and flavor to your salads. They’re great cocktail garnishes too, and yes, you can just pop them into your mouth.
#2 – Rose Petals
Perhaps someone special just gave you a dozen roses, ain’t that special? Well, if you’re not the kind of person who keeps decaying flowers around the house, consider cooking those silken petals.
Make rose water by infusing your petals like tea or add them to your desserts for a luscious feel and an aromatic scent you’ll love.
#1 – Lavender
Lavender is one of the most impressive flowers out there, native to the French countryside, they’re essential ingredients in perfumes and cleaning products, but they’re edible too.
A good lavender tea will guarantee a good night’s sleep and add lavender blossoms to cupcakes and other sweets for an unforgettable experience.
Do you eat something unusual?
We all eat uncommon things; we just think they’re normal! Everyone else does it, right?
You’d be surprised to see how much edible food we throw away every day. Then again, some of this stuff like seeds and peels are incredibly healthy! So, keep your mind wide open and try something you’d not usually eat.
There’s lots of food you never knew you could eat, and it’s out there for the taking.
